Smith says 'sky is the limit' for OSU quarterback

COLUMBUS -- Former Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith thinks current OSU signal-caller Braxton Miller has the potential to be exponentially better than him.

After seeing what Miller was able to do as a true freshman at Ohio State, then meeting the 6-foot-3, 190-pound soon-to-be-sophomore, Smith sees the sky as the limit for Miller -- if not better.

"He has a glass cylinder over his head. All he has to do is explode through," said Smith at Classic Park in Eastlake on Saturday, where he signed autographs as part of the Lake County Captains' celebration of Cleveland Sports History Night.

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In his freshman year, Miller passed for 997 yards and 11 touchdowns and ran for 695 yards and seven scores.

It's not anywhere near Smith's senior year at OSU, when he threw for 2,542 yards and 30 touchdowns, numbers which led him to the 2006 Heisman Trophy.

But Miller's freshman numbers blow away those of Smith's freshman year, when he had no offensive statistics, playing all 11 games on special teams.

"I see a lot of myself in him, all of myself," Smith said. "I solely believe he has a chance to be 10 times better than I was. He's a lot faster. He's a much better athlete.

"I'm extremely excited aout his future. I want to see him take off."

Smith said he is impressed with how Miller handles himself off the field, as well, something he learned more about when he said they two quarterbacks met for the first time recently. Smith said Miller and other players today have increased media coverage and social media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook, which put standouts such as Miller under more of a microscope than Smth was under during his OSU career.

Smith said Miller is "doing everything above and beyond" as far as doing and saying the right things as one of the faces of Ohio State's program.

He also offered his services to Miller.

"I have not gotten a chance to really give him the tutelage I would like to give him," Smith said. "He's the quarterback of the future. He's the person who will give us a chance to win."

Smith, a Glenville product not far from his hometown team Cleveland Browns, is in camp with the Pittsburgh Steelers, hoping to win a job as a backup to starter Ben Roethlisberger.

Smith repeatedly used the words "we" and "us" to refer to the Ohio State program. He said the departure of former Coach Jim Tressel and the influx of a new coaching staff doesn't dim his love for his alma mater a it.

"It's my team through and through, until the day I leave this earth," he said. "I think Urban Meyer is doing some good things over there."

Smith said he hasn't spoken with Meyer since his hiring.

Meyer was the coach at Florida when the Gators ripped Ohio State, 41-14, in the 2006 season's BCS National Championship game. A month after winning the Heisman Trophy, Smith completed 4 of 14 passes for 35 yards and was sacked five times against Meyer's defense.

Smith said he remains an unbridled supporter of Ohio State, but he is still very loyal to the man who brought him to Columbus -- Tressel.

He referred to four father figures in his life -- "my biological father, my foster dad, (Ted) Ginn Sr. and Tress."

Nothing will change that, he said.

"Tress is great," Smith said. "Without him, there wouldn't be a me. There's nothing superficial about that. He was a father figure to me on and off the field. I would follow him into a dark alley. Wherever Tress goes, I have his back 110 percent."